Faced with an
unprecedented set of circumstances, due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), hundreds of
thousands of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) students, with the
guidance of their teachers and the support of their parents and caregivers, completed
the first week of distance learning.

Following Spring Recess, on March 30, distance learning at M-DCPS will
resume, and parents and other caregivers are urged to continue to facilitate
learning from home with the guidance of students’ teachers. Upon immediate return
to at-home learning, families can expect the same type of experience they had
during the first week (March 16 – March 20).

M-DCPS is committed
to ensuring the highest level of academic excellence, no matter the circumstances;
and is currently developing the second phase of its distance learning plan,
which will provide additional support and guidance to students and families.
Information about phase 2 of the plan will be forthcoming.

Students and
parents may continue to access the M-DCPS comprehensive Instructional
Continuity Plan (ICP) by logging onto http://icp.dadeschools.net/.
As part of the established plan, the District has also adapted content to be
accessible for students with special needs and English Language Learners.
Students can access their applications via the Student Portal.

M-DCPS and
WLRN Public Media will be launching At-Home
Learning, a new educational programming schedule on WLRN-TV that complements
the school district’s distance learning plan. The new weekday television
schedule will begin airing on Monday, March 30th, 2020 from 8 a.m.
to 6 p.m.

At-Home
Learning, free and accessible from any television, delivers age-appropriate
educational programs through a familiar medium that supports the ICP. The new
schedule includes specific blocks of time for Pre-K through 12th grade levels
and cover subjects such as English language arts, social studies, science and
math.

Program modifications will take place throughout the
duration of school closures and will address a wide variety of content areas.
Educators and parents will have access to supplemental lesson plans and
curriculum materials to facilitate meaningful use of the content via https://florida.pbslearningmedia.org/.

M-DCPS is
preparing to execute a distance learning plan beginning March 30 for adult,
career and technical education, based on funding flexibility provided by the
Florida Department of Education (FLDOE). All teachers and adult students can
access instructional lessons and resource content through active,
program-specific links provided via each adult education enter and technical
college website.

Device
Distribution and Connectivity

Since Friday, March
13, M-DCPS has provided students with nearly 56,000 devices to ensure all are able
to participate in distance learning. While the deadline to exchange or receive
a device at all school sites ended today; following Spring Recess, M-DCPS will
continue to distribute devices at several high school locations in the north,
central, and southern parts of the county. Students who are still in need of a
device are asked to contact their principal for additional information.

The District
will continue to collaborate with private and public sector partners to ensure
geographic areas lacking Internet connectivity are addressed, eliminating any
digital deserts that may exist. M-DCPS is currently working to add an additional
hotline for teachers, students, and parents to specifically address
connectivity issues.

In
addition, Comcast continues to offer free Wi-Fi via Xfinity hotspots where
Xfinity service is available for 60 days. This is in addition to the Internet
Essentials Program, normally $9.95 per month, which will provide an in-home
modem and 60 days of free service for eligible low-income M-DCPS families.

Participation
in this program is strongly recommended for those in need. More information
about the free Internet service can be found at http://distancelearning.dadeschools.net/. Access
to free Wi-Fi connections via hotspots should be limited to educational use or
other essential health and safety functions. Comcast has also agreed to provide
flexibility on late fees and payment options. Those struggling to pay for Internet
service should contact 1-800-Comcast.

Magnet
Program Notifications

Students who applied for admission to a magnet school/program
will be notified on Monday, March 30. Students will receive an email with their
application status or a postal letter if they applied by mail. More information
can be found at miamimagnets.org/questions.

AP, IB,
SAT Testing

Students who applied for Advanced
Placement (AP) testing will be notified of their status on March 30. Students who applied for AP
testing online will receive an email while those who applied through U.S.
Postal Service will be contacted via mail. . Beginning March 30, the
305-995-HELP line will also include dedicated staff to answer any questions.
The child’s school can also be contacted for additional information.

A decision will be made no
later than March 27, 2020 regarding the May 2020 International Baccalaureate (IB)
examination session and the options available for schools and students.

The College Board is canceling
the May 2, 2020, SAT and SAT Subject Test administration. Make-up exams that
were scheduled for March 28 are also canceled. Testing scheduled for June 6,
2020, has not been cancelled. The College Board and Khan Academy will continue
to provide free online resources, including full-length practice tests and
personalized learning tools.

Meal Distribution for Students and Families

During
the first week of school closures, M-DCPS food service personnel distributed
more than 200,000 hot to-go meals from all school sites.

During
Spring Recess, the District has worked with non-profit organizations Farm
Share, Feeding South Florida, and Share Your Heart to facilitate community
feedings for the week. Links to the organizations’ calendars and distribution
sites may be found at covid19.dadeschools.net.

Beginning
March 30, grab-and-go meals will continue to be distributed at 31 schools
across the district, Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. These hours
were chosen so as not to disrupt distance learning. The list of food
distribution sites will be posted on the district’s COVID-19 website in the coming days.

Sanitization
of Schools

Teams
of 20 to 30 custodians, supervised by master custodians, continue sanitizing
schools daily. The teams have sanitized more than 49 schools in this first week,
using hospital-grade germicides to clean floors, classrooms, cafeterias, gyms,
all common areas and contact points; wiping and mopping down surfaces and
fogging where needed. So far, 25,000 AC filters have been replaced. Crews are
also utilizing specialized sprayers and foggers to assist in sanitization
efforts.

Capital Improvement Projects

The
school closures have allowed the District to accelerate the timeline of capital
improvement projects at school sites.

To
date, 31 General Obligation Bond construction projects have been sped up,
though the District does anticipate some challenges in the future related to
the distribution chain of supplies in the private sector.

M-DCPS Employees

All M-DCPS employees, with the
exception of a select number of essential personnel, will be on Spring Recess. Upon
returning from recess on March 30, the
entire workforce will be working remotely, with the exception of select
personnel who may be called upon by their immediate supervisors to physically
report for duty. Teachers and students can expect to continue as they have been
this past week, engaging with one another through a variety of virtual means based
upon the ICP.

The District will utilize all
legally available means to compensate hourly employees. While these employees
are not currently reporting to work, as part of established School Board Policy
8420, Emergency Closure of Schools, every effort will be made to provide these
employees with opportunities to make up
the hours not worked during the emergency at a later time.

Employees, retirees, and
their dependents will have uninterrupted access to healthcare. Insurance
coverage will continue, even if the ability to remit a premium is delayed. Once
normal operations resume, arrangements will be made to collect outstanding
premiums.

Employees enrolled in a
District health plan will incur no out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 testing, if
it is medically necessary.

The CDC has advised of elevated travel advisory levels to
several areas and issued specific
guidance related to cruise ship travel. The District strongly recommends
employees refrain from traveling to areas currently at Level 3 or Level 2, as
well as defer travel via cruise ship. If employees choose to travel against
these advisories, absences will be charged in accordance with established
payroll procedures.

M-DCPS Facilitated Childcare
for Health Workers

M-DCPS
and the YMCA will continue to assist in the operation of childcare centers for
children of essential medical personnel of Jackson Health and select University
of Miami Health systems employees. Understanding the critical role these
parents have for the health of our community, this service will continue
through Spring Recess and beyond.

Federal Advocacy Efforts

The
District continues advocating at the federal level for flexibility to provide
meals for students and their families, expansion of Internet access, and
funding to support the continuity of services and relief for employees affected
by school closures. M-DCPS is also working to mitigate any potential budget
reductions for this year and next.

Florida Department of Education Information

All
K-12 schools and career and technical center campuses are to remain closed
through April 15. All remaining assessments for school readiness, voluntary
pre-kindergarten and K-12 assessments are cancelled.

Requirements
for graduation and promotion, and final course grades will be evaluated as
though those assessments, which were cancelled, did not exist. In addition,
school performance grades will not be calculated for the 2019-2020 academic
year.

Eligibility for Florida
Bright Futures scholarships shall be based on available data and results. Tests
that were not available to be taken shall not be counted.

Unspent 2019-2020 funds from Reading Scholarship Accounts, the
Reading Instruction Allocation, the Digital Classroom Allocation and the
Teachers Classroom Supply Assistance Program as well as Title 2 funds will be
redirected to help low-income students purchase digital devices and establish
Internet services.

Unspent Safe Schools and
Mental Health allocations will be redirected to virtual and telephonic mental
health counseling services for students who need emotional support due to
COVID-19.

All school readiness,
voluntary prekindergarten, K-12, career and technical centers and state college
programs are receiving full allocation of funding, enabling staff and
contractors to be paid fully, through June 30, 2020, as though
there was no disruption in education.

The
District will continue to monitor all developments in this evolving situation
and will communicate via the links above, as well as through automated
messaging, media announcements and social media.

Resources

Mission Statement

Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ (M-DCPS) Office of Communications (OOC) is committed to the timely and accurate dissemination of information that highlights the school districts programs, initiatives, and achievements to reinforce awareness among internal and external stakeholders. We pursue this mission through targeted messaging, integrated marketing, social media, and public relations activities that inform and educate parents, students, employees, and all stakeholders of Miami-Dade County Public Schools.